Po4 is 0...is that possible?

[stevedola]

In the past, my Phosphate level has been .04 +/- .01 with a hanna po4 checker...so when I picked up some new reagent and tested with the outcome of 0.00 I was surprised. Granted I had not tested in 4 mths or so but my husbandry has not increased nor have I started dosing anything to lower my PO4 so why would this be 0.00? I re-tested and sure enough it was 0.00 on the hanna. Is it possible to keep a tank with 0.00 Po4? everything looks healthy (knock on wood) but Ive ALWAYS been slightly above. I even started feeding more because ive noticed a slight fade in my toxic green tort on the base and part of the stalks. Ive been feeding more coral food for roughly 2 weeks with positive results (that is why I bought the new reagent to monitor the PO4 and not let the feeding get out of hand) but would have figured my PO4 to go up. I dont know what the level was directly prior to the feeding increase however is a 0.00 PO4 level good? Does that mean my water is too clean? never had this issue before and do not want thhis to grow into a problem...OR am I just be too anal and need to just watch the fish and corals grow and shut up :spin1:

 

[sirreal63]

Which Hanna Checker, ppm or ppb?

 

[MammothReefer]

yah I have 0 come back all the time

 

[Allmost]

who cares what hanna or other test kits say .... look at your corals and what they say.

if they look good, and look better now that you are feeding them, just do what you are doing .
test kits are good for giving you an Idea ... for me, test kits tell if po4 is way too high, or they are fine. point is colourful corals, not great test results.

 

[stevedola]

I hear ya...I dont chase numbers but I dont want my tank to become too sterile and have growth issues which I kinda think I started to have based upon my toxic green tort's slight loss of color (hence the feeding). I also didnt want the test to be inaccurate with the new reagent and me start feeding 4-5 times a week and end up having algea issues. If others typically receive 0.00 as a result then Im coming to the conclusion that my tank just needs a few more feedings a week. So far with 2-3 feeding a week the corals have colored up a little and hopefully will I will get a growth burst from the feedings.

heres a macro of my pearlberry to show it that beautiful pearly blue color.

and a pic of a top down of blue voodoo

 

[stevedola]

this pic was taken a couple mths ago and you can kind of see what Im talking about in regards to my green tort (or whatever it is) tissue fading on its base and branches...it turned tan-ish where as it was super saturated green maybe 8 mths ago. Since about 2 - 3 weeks ago when I started feeding the tank more coral food Ive noticed that the green color is deepening...Ill try and get a pic up of its current status but thats not always easy with 2 young kids by myself at night.

 

[wonderz]

what's your ALK level? Sometimes when ALK is too high, the coral skeleton grows faster than the tissue so you will notice just the polyp with little to no tissue. Also if this is specific just to the green tort, you can dose some iron and that will help bring out the green color.

 

[sirreal63]

FWIW, I have always noticed color changes more with nitrates than phosphates. When my no3 gets below what Salifert can measure, my corals pale and keeping it around 3-5 gets the color back. Higher po4 has slowed the growth and increased algae on the glass and perhaps better color, it is hard to say because the no3 and po4 have risen at the same time.

When using the Checkers, remember the range of accuracy, the ppm has a range of accuracy within .04, so getting a zero could actually mean up to .04 or anywhere between 0 and .04. The ppb checker has a much higher resolution so the accuracy is greater. I wouldn't worry too much about the actual number, just watch the corals as you already are. I feed heavy and have no issues with the corals color, if po4 gets high and the glass needs to be cleaned more, I either do a WC or change out the GFO, if nitrates get higher than 5 then a little vinegar brings it right back down.

 

[stevedola]

what's your ALK level? Sometimes when ALK is too high, the coral skeleton grows faster than the tissue so you will notice just the polyp with little to no tissue. Also if this is specific just to the green tort, you can dose some iron and that will help bring out the green color.

Alk is 7.5 and has been for months upon months. I personally dont like dosing anything I dont or cant test for...thats my rule of thumb. Thanks for the idea though.

 

[stevedola]

thanks sirreal...I didnt know that about the checker (which is what I own). So I could be registering 0.00 and actually be up to .04 which is about where Id like it.

 

[sirreal63]

I use the same one, have since they came out, it isn't the greatest but it works for my needs. I am never interested in the actual number but how the corals look. Our ability to remove no3 and po4 is much better now than 10 years ago, and it is pretty easy to starve corals.